Get Involved

At the Mount, life outside the classroom is filled with opportunities to connect with other students who share your same interests. With so many options, getting involved, making friends, and finding your niche is easy! Outlets range from academic to social and everything in between.

Student Clubs and Organizations Manual

Oversight

Clubs and Organizations are overseen by the Student Government Association. All submissions of required materials for both existing clubs and newly forming ones will be received by SGA and shared with Campus Activities (both located in Lower McGowan). This allows for the maintenance of current records as well as up to date information on the Mount website.

Once all the paperwork is completed for a club, that club will be considered by the SGA Treasurer for budget appropriations. SGA will be responsible for granting approval of registered club status, for ensuring that the club’s purpose is in line with Mount St. Mary’s mission, that the constitution is valid, and collecting end of the semester reports.

The SGA Treasurer will act as the primary oversight for clubs and organizations with Campus Activities providing ongoing programming support. Ultimately the decision to deny or revoke a new club’s request or existing registration resides with the Dean of Students.

Registration

Clubs can take shape at any time during the year but can only become approved at the outset of the year. Clubs that come together later in the year will be allowed to register, but will not be eligible for an official budget. Special funding requests may be granted to clubs without a budget under the discretion of the SGA Executive Board Treasurer and other Executive Board members. To do so, clubs must adhere to the following steps:

One representative from the organization must attend a student clubs and organizations informational meeting held within the first two weeks of the year. The group will be informed ahead of time by way of the club’s viable contact info left on record.

Complete the following forms online through SharePoint within the first three weeks of the semester:

Student Organization Registration

Budget Request

Upload a copy of the organization’s most up to date “Constitution”

Organizations that complete all registration requirements by the deadline will be contacted to confirm they are registered for the semester and eligible for funding through SGA.

The SGA Executive Board Treasurer will then determine the amount to be allocated with approval from the SGA Advisory Board.

Any and all questions regarding registration or more details on establishing a club should be directed to the SGA office. All budget questions should be directed to the SGA Treasurer.

Responsibilities

Additional expectations and responsibilities are required by each club throughout the semester in order to remain in good standing and continue their eligibility for SGA funding. The following list details those measures:

Submission of a “Student Organization - End of the Semester Report” (approved by the club advisor) due no later than the week before final exams. Failure to submit this report will result in a freeze of a club’s budget until the report has been completed.

Submission of the “Student Organization - Community Service Completion Form” (as approved by the Director of Community Service) preferably upon completion of service but no later than the end of the semester. All organizations that wish to apply for funding through SGA are highly encouraged, but not required, to complete a service project each semester in which a majority of members must be present for an approximately 3 hour project.

Work with the SGA Treasurer to issue check requests and reimbursements/ disbursements for approved club spending in a timely manner. Check requests and reimbursements/disbursements need to be approved by a club’s advisor.

Any cash advances MUST be settled within a week of the day it was received, and no cash disbursements will be given during the last week of the semester.

Reply to all club inquiries in a professional and timely manner.

Compliance with all University marketing/promotional policies.

All fundraising activities must be reviewed and approved by Campus Activities

Event Planning

Any event should take the following factors into consideration: audience, budget, registration/approval, facilities, equipment, transportation, food, staffing, contracts, and publicity.

To register an event, reserve a table in Patriot Hall/AC, reserve napkin holders, windmasters, etc. fill out the Event Services Request Form. This online form must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the date of the event and must be submitted by your club/org advisor.

Whether it is a simple meeting, cookout, or a complex logistical campus wide event, this process is meant to provide one stop shopping to reserve and coordinate your event needs. Within 3 days of submitting the request, a confirmation booking sheet will be sent out and the auxiliary service offices (Dining Services, Center for Instructional Technology, Physical Plant, etc.) notified. In the event of a conflict with a date, location, or time the person making the request will be contacted to work through alternative viable options. Last minute requests will not be honored.

Mount St. Mary’s Promotional Guidelines and Policies

The purpose of this policy is to set promotional standards for Mount St. Mary’s University. The reasonable measures listed within this document aim to ensure appropriate content, means, and aesthetics for all promotional efforts in order to uphold the Mount’s integrity as well as its efforts towards continued campus beautification. All administrative offices, department heads, and advisors of clubs and organizations, etc. are ultimately responsible for the appropriateness of the material that is endorsed by their respective departments, offices, and student groups. It is also the responsibility of each individual office to maintain materials across all formats.

The following has been prepared to assist you in writing a constitution for your new organization. You may choose to follow another specific format. To be recognized by the student governments, however, you must include articles that contain the information found in articles I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X.

Article I: The name of the organization is stated in article I. Be descriptive to promote campus community awareness of the organization. In all cases, it is wise to check with the Office of Campus Life to see if the name is already registered with another organization.

Article II: This consists of a few sentences outlining the purpose of the organization. The organizations’ goals and meaning are the most important part of the campus community. Clearly defined purposes help to increase active membership.

Article III: Qualifications for membership should be stated here. Membership should be limited to those people officially connected with the university community. Membership may be "open" (anyone can join) or "selective" (membership is limited and/or voted upon). Only clubs that are open in membership can receive funding from SGA. This article is also an appropriate place to elaborate on the amount of annual dues and the specific terms of payment (monthly, yearly, etc.).

Article IV: This article specifies the organization’s officers and their duties. The number and types of each office will vary in each organization, but all organizations must have at least a president/chairperson and a treasurer. Many will also have a vice-president and a secretary. Be specific as to their duties; do not be vague. This is very important in order to avoid future procedural problems. Many organizations have become inactive because of disputes about unclear responsibility. Also, specify any qualifications necessary for each office (year in school, GPA, minimum membership time in the organization, etc.).

Article V: Any committees that are a permanent function of the organization should be specified with the chairperson’s duties. It may be stated whether the chair sits on the organization’s executive board. Such committees may include membership, newsletter, or publicity.

Article VI: A traditional constitution sets definite rules and procedures for elections in this article. Article IV has already established who can run for an office. Specify a definite procedure for filling, nomination, election and percentage of membership votes necessary for electoral validity appeals. You may want to have elections in the spring. This insures people will be there in the fall, and it gives the officers time to plan and have events ready for the fall.

Article VII: Every student organization is required to have a full-time faculty or full-time staff adviser. The nomination and selection procedure should be specified as well as the removal process.

Article VIII: This article specifies procedures for removal from office. The benefit of this is to give the organization an escape clause for ineffective, incompetent, or unethical officers. Most organizations require a 2/3 majority vote for removal of an officer.

Article IX: Because an organization must change in accordance with the environment and community, this article permits the constitution to be amended. As in case of impeachment, a 2/3 majority vote is usually implemented for amendment ratification.

Article X: This final article specifies the procedure for the initial ratification of the constitution by the organization itself. If all procedures have been followed as outlined, there should be no difficulty in gaining the approval of a usual 2/3 majority vote of members in the organization.